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| |  | SCI-LIT LINKS QUICKPLAN
BIOME DIORAMA
(QuickPlan developed by Michelle Godberson, Barcelona, Spain)
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OVERVIEW: Students will research information about biomes. Combining this activity with the chapter book the students will be more familiar with plants, animals, animal hibernation and seasonal changes found in this biome.
BOOKLINK: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Scholastic Inc., 1950. ISBN 0-590-25476-6
SCIENCE ACTIVITY LINK: Students will be able to identify key features found in a deciduous forest. Students will recognize how seasons can effect both flora and fauna. Students will research, brainstorm and share information found on biomes.
OBJECTIVE: Students will describe and illustrate a deciduous forest biome and the creatures that live there. Students will use creative drama to describe seasonal effects on the biome and its inhabitants.
SCIENCE PROCESSES AND CONTENT: Processes-observing, communicating, inferring, collecting and analyzing data. Content-gathering information about various biomes then deciding which one best matches "Narnia" in the book, noting specific plants and animals found in the deciduous forest, and recognizing and describing seasonal changes and animal hibernation in deciduous biomes.
NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS: Unifying Concepts and Processes, (1) Science as Inquiry, (3) Life Science
MATERIALS: 1 box per group (larger than shoe box), colored paper, light-colored string, wooden chop sticks (4 per group), scissors, glue sticks, cotton balls, stiff cardboard paper, hole punch
PROCEDURE:
1. Begin reading the chapter book. By the second chapter the topic of biomes can be introduced. Note that some of the creatures in the story are imaginary while others are not. Continue reading the chapter book daily.
2. Divide the class in groups of 3-4. Have students search for information about deciduous forests. Identify animals, plants and other organisms that exist in this biome and describe how the seasons affect them?
3. Brainstorm findings with the class as a whole and list the animals, plants, and other organisms on the board. Have students share related photos found on the Internet. Explain that each group will be creating and depicting a scene from the book and the box will become a stage or a diorama.The students first much measure black or navy blue paper to cover the interior of the box. Then the teacher needs to cut the top of the box to create an opening for the characters to move freely on the stage.
4. Using the information collected have students create a backdrop for a scene in the story. The backdrop should include typical trees and other plants, animals, and other organisms found in this biome. These can be sketched and cut out from colored paper. The students will then paste these inside the box against the bottom.
5. Once the students have completed the deciduous forest then have them add extra details to the stage matching the scene such as lamp post, snow (cotton balls) and small trees.
6. The students are then asked to choose a scene from the book that involves 3 to 4 characters. Each should have storylines in similar length. A narrator can be selected within the group. They are asked to practice reciting their lines over a two week period.
7. Students should be able to perform without the book as an aid. The narrator can use the book but they should not rely on it. The final touches should be made on the dioramas.
8. Students are asked to sketch a two sided paper puppet to represent the character they are portraying. Group drawings should be clear, colorful,and must fit the box. They should draw both the front then the back of the character on sturdy cardboard paper.
9. Once completed the drawings need to have a single hole punched through their head. The string is then attached to the head of the character and a chopstick. These will be dangled and moved on the stage while the character is performing. The strings should be long enough that they reach the floor of the diorama and not float above it.
10. The diorama plays should be no more than five minutes long. Each student will participate and be graded on their voice, clarity and volume. Each scene should be about four pages long.
11. Grade the students on group cooperation, participation, presentation, understanding of the biome, and recognizing the real and the imaginary creatures found in this story.
SAFETY: Teachers should cut the "ceiling" of the boxes since some cardboard boxes can be difficult to cut.
RELATED BOOKS:
The Natural History of the Oak Tree by Richard Lewington and David Streeter, Dorling Kindersley, London, 1993. ISBN 1-56458-307-4
A Kid's Fall EcoJournal by Toni Albert, Trickle Creek Books, Pennsylvania, 1997. ISBN 0-9640742-5-7
The Big Tree by Bruce Hiscock, Boyds Mill Press, Pennsylvania, 1993. ISBN 1-56397-810-5
Trees by Ruth Thomson, Usborne First Nature Books, EDC Publishing, Oklahoma. ISBN 0-86020-473-1
The Tremendous Tree Book by Barbara Brenner and May Garelick, Boyds Mill Press, Pennsylvania, 1979 ISBN 1-56397-718-4
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